The Manhunt 2 rating saga has come back to bug the ESRB once again. A group of …

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A group of senators has sent the Entertainment Software Ratings Board a letter suggesting that it's time for the group to revamp its ratings system. Signed by Sen. Evan Bayh (D-IN), Sen. Joseph Lieberman (I-CT), Sen. Sam Brownback (R-KS), and Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-NY), the missive cites the Manhunt 2 ratings saga as evidence that the ESRB needs to take another look at its ratings system.

When originally submitted to the ESRB, Manhunt 2 got the dreaded Adults Only rating. As all three console manufacturers refuse to certify AO-rated games for their systems, the rating forced Rockstar into the position of either cutting back on the graphic violence that garnered the rating, or shelving the title altogether.

The British Board of Film Classification, however, did not find the changes compelling. After reviewing the revised footage, the UK ratings group decided that the title was still not suitable for release. Citing the game's "bleakness and callousness of tone," the BBFC said that Rockstar's tweaks failed to address its concerns about the original, unedited version.

The senators believe the BBFC made the right call on Manhunt 2 and wonder why the ESRB didn't keep the AO rating in place. The senators would like to see more transparency from the ESRB: "What information is provided back to developers after receiving a rating? Why is information regarding rating changes or reasons for decisions unavailable, except for content descriptors, to the public?" reads the letter.

The letter also cites the leak of the AO-rated version by a Sony employee and subsequent unlocking of some of the AO-content on the PSP version, as well as the "realistic motions" used to kill characters in the game on the Nintendo Wii, as evidence that the ESRB should reevaluate its ratings process. "[W]e ask your consideration of whether it is time to review the robustness, reliability, and repeatability of your ratings process, particularly for this genre of 'ultra-violent' video games and the advances in game controllers," concludes the letter.